#ONEUNG raises funds for 24 projects

The #ONEUNG Giving Campaign has its largest number of projects ever with 24 this spring. Running from April 3-28, the campaign is seeking to raise more than $163,000, mostly for student travel and support programs.

"It is great to see our faculty and staff stepping up as project leaders to support students through these scholarships," Alberto Perez, UNG director of annual giving, said. "We depend on their energy."

The Eagle Fund is recognizing President Bonita Jacobs' support to the Corps of Cadets with a match challenge in her honor. The Eagle Fund provides scholarship funds for cadets who are on a commissioning track; its goal is $50,000.

One project is the Dr. Barry D. Friedman Endowed Scholarship, which is aiming to become endowed as quickly as possible as it supports $1,000 annual scholarships for Department of Political Science and International Affairs students. Friedman, a professor emeritus of political science, worked at UNG for 29 years, co-founded UNG's Master of Public Administration program and earned multiple awards while he was a faculty member. The campaign for the Friedman Scholarship aims to raise $5,000 this month.

"I am so excited to be part of the inception of the Dr. Barry D. Friedman Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship will be the first ever to support undergraduates pursuing a degree within the PSIA department in the history of UNG," Dr. Dlynn Williams, PSIA department head, said. "The scholarship will allow well-deserving students to pursue their dreams of governmental service and will allow them to have a lasting impact on their community at the local, state and national levels."

Another project seeks to raise $5,000 to support UNG's Oconee Campus Food Pantry. Russell Willis, who joined UNG as executive director of the Oconee Campus in January, is the leader of that campaign.

"When I was an undergraduate student at UGA, there were times when I could not afford the dining hall meal plan. I know what it is like to be a hungry college student and wonder from where your next meal is coming," Willis said. "The Oconee Campus Food Pantry, Nigel's Nest, is our way of easing the food shortage burden off of any community member. The people who manage, volunteer and donate to the pantry are true friends of those in our community who are in need. And as a volunteer, each week I see the lives that are being touched through the pantry. Every donation helps."

One of the other projects is Student Success Workshops, which aims to raise $1,000.

"In Academic Advising, our goal is to help students make positive progress toward completing their degrees. Over the past few semesters, we have noticed more students struggling with things like test-taking anxiety, connecting with their professors and campus resources, and overall decision-making," Crystal West, a UNG academic advisor, said. "Our goal in creating these workshops is to connect students to resources and information that can have a positive impact on their education."

Other projects include:

• NGCSU Yearbook Digitization Project, $8,212 goal
• First-Generation Student Initiatives, $5,000 goal
• PEAKS Lifelong Learning Program, $5,000 goal
• Dollars for Scholars, $5,000 goal
• Golden Eagle Band, $5,000 goal
• Blue Ridge Rifles Drill Team, $5,000 goal
• Jimmy & Harriett Burson Women's Basketball Scholarship, $5,000 goal
• Bob Owens Art Scholarships, $5,000 goal
• Steve Noble Undergraduate Research Fund, $20,000 goal
• UNG Nursing Caring Corner, $2,500 goal
• Hometown Harvest, $3,000 goal
• Teacher Candidate Residency Program, $2,500 goal
• Geospatial Science Student Travel Fund (IESA), $5,000 goal
• Doctoral Physical Therapy Student Professional Enrichment, $2,500 goal
• Global Military Program - International Cadet Scholarship, $5,000 goal
• UNG Collegiate Poultry Judging Team Fund, $5,000 goal
• UNG Physics & Astronomy: Student Events and Travel Fund, $2,000 goal
• Biology Boot Camp, $3,500 goal
• Festival del Espacio, $3,000 goal
• Support Student Travel to the Sigma Tau Delta Convention, $5,000 goal